Research Guides: Fashion Design and Merchandising Research Guide: Market Research

Fashion Market Research & Trends Websites

BoF (Business of Fashion)
BoF combines independent, agenda-setting journalism with practical business advice, online learning, career-building tools and immersive events and experiences, powering positive change in fashion and the wider world. Some content may not be accessible because it is only available to members.
BoF (Business of Fashion) Professional for Students
Students can get a free or $5/month membership.
U.S. Apparel and Footwear Consumer Behavior - Statistics & Facts
From Statista.
Fashion Color Trend Report
From Pantone.

Consumer Research - Internet Resources

Claritas PRIZM Premier Segments
Claritas is a data-driven marketing company. It provides some free info such as their set of U.S. segments with demographics, consumer behavior and geographic data for marketers. You can view segments by lifestage group or social group.
Claritas Zip Code Lookup
Look up a zip code to find demographics and lifestyles of consumer segments in a neighborhood.
Esri Location Data
Scroll down to the "Discover the power of data section." Type in a zip code, and you'll find information about the neighborhood, including common behaviors, spending habits, disposable income, and spending on apparel.

Consumer Research - Government Resources

Consumer Expenditure Survey
From the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Consumer Expenditure Survey shows what people spend their money on by age, occupation, race, etc. The link brings you to the database search, but visit the homepage for more information: https://www.bls.gov/cex
Consumer Expenditures Report 2020
From the Bureau of Labor Statistics
data.census.gov
This platform is the primary way to access data from the 2018 American Community Survey, 2017 Economic Census, 2020 Census, and more!
U.S. Census Quick Facts

Industry Research Databases

IBISWorld This link opens in a new window
Provides reports for 700+ U.S. industries. Reports provide key statistics, segmentation, market characteristics, industry conditions, key competitors, industry performance and outlook.

Business Source Premier This link opens in a new window
A good place to start for most business research topics. Covers all areas of business, including management, economics, finance, accounting, international business, and more.

Using NAICS Codes for Fashion Industry & Market Research

When doing industry or market research, it is helpful to find the NAICS code for that industry. NAICS (rhymes with lakes) is the abbreviation for the North American Industry Classification System. It is defined as "the standard used by Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy" (U.S. Census Bureau, 2021).

You can search many of the business databases by NAICS code to get industry information. Knowing the NAICS (also known as an industry code) can help you find consistent analysis from database to database by making sure you are comparing consistent industry segments.

(Image courtesy of the Library of Congress)